WEST LA: You first met this under-construction project at Sawtelle and Mississippi back in August. But unlike all those other construction projects in this neighborhood, this one is a new rental building. It will feature eight, two-level lofts that are 1,200 square feet, as well as one two-level loft that's 2,400 square feet. Prices will be posted as soon as available.[Curbed Staff]
DOWNTOWN: Given that some people may be confused by what exactly happens at all these condo auctions, we asked Rhett Winchell, head of Kennedy Wilson Auction Group to tell us what bidders can expect from this Saturday's auction for downtown's Market Lofts. Here's the breakdown: Bidders have to register and pre-qualify, and bring a cashiers check for $5,000. Everyone gathers in a big room at the Bonaventure Hotel. "It's just like a traditional oral auction," says Winchell. Bidders hold up cards to indicate an interest in a unit (55 will be auctioned off), and increments are raised in amounts ranging from $1,000-$10,000. We also asked about that clause that says the seller has the right to reject the bid price. According to Winchell, it's not expected any offers will be rejected by developer Lee Homes/CIM Group. "They are very eager to close out," he says, adding that no offers were rejected at that other recent auction at The Dalton (different developer, but also a Kennedy Wilson auction). Open bar? DJ? (Because some auctions are more like big parties.) No and no, according to Winchell. But there are refreshments. [Curbed Staff]
The Planning Department--and just about everyone else works for the city--may be taking mandated furloughs, and California's unemployment rate may have hit 20 percent, but City Council members are still making $178,000 a year, said to be one of the highest City Council salaries in the country. City Councilman Jose Huizar defends the salary in the Boulevard Sentinel, saying the councilmembers work so damn much that it's really like they're working two jobs. Also, don't head to City Hall if you're looking to borrow an eraser. "[Huizar] explained that all the council office's budgets were cut by 10%, which mostly came out of supplies. He said the council staff worked more hours than they were paid for already, and he couldn't see cutting their pay any." [Boulevard Sentinel]]]>
It didn't take long to sell this two-bedroom, one-and-three-quarter bath in the Hollywood Hills. Described as "Hockney-esque" the house was formerly owned by Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose (he sold it in 1992 for $640,000), and went on the market this past July. The house includes hardwood floors, fireplace, and a ceramic tile floor in the kitchen. There's also a "lagoon pool on grassy pad with exotic palm grove." The house was asking $1.25 million. Final sales price: $1.089 million. 
The Community Redevelopment Agency is rushing to bring tenants to its CleanTech Manufacturing Center downtown now that rail firm AnsaldoBreda's deal with Metro has fallen through and the company has pulled out of their planned lease at the site. The Downtown News reports that the CRA and the mayor's office are both trying to find replacements, preferably ones who will bring good jobs to the city. AnsaldoBreda was self-financed and shovel-ready, and the paper quotes Jack Kyser, chief economist for the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation, on the biggest problem with bringing in someone new: "The only limiting factor would be financing. There’s nothing available and it doesn’t look like there will be anything available for at least a year." [Downtown News, image via]]]>
Someone is finally doing something about awful abuses of valet power, at least in one small area. The West 3rd Street Business Association and the 5th District City Council office are introducing a universal public valet service to Third between Fairfax and La Cienega, reports the Beverly Press. The service will launch by Thanksgiving. Under the plan, universal valet stands will operate along the stretch and charge $2 or $3. The majority of profit will come from business sponsorship, and the Beverly Connection has donated 100 parking spaces. The Press quotes City Councilmember Paul Koretz, who represents the area, saying the program is in response to "valets [who] have abused the public parking-metered and loading spaces, which causes congestion, hazardous conditions and frustration for customers searching for parking on nearby streets, and negatively impacts the residential and commercial corridor on and around Third Street." Mott Smith, a consultant hired by the business association, found that metered spots in the district were full by noon every day, mostly because of valets "taking up street parking with loading zones and competing for spots." He says, "We want to make money for the local businesses, not the valet company," and that the point isn't to push out other valets on the street, but to "raise the bar for service in the area."
Writing for the Times' design magazine, Architect's Newspaper editor Sam Lubell covers the phenomenon of high design for teacup humans. Yes, we're talking about school architecture for the kiddies. In LA, Lubell includes Coop Himmelb(l)au's Central Los Angeles High School #9 (aka Buck Rogers High), Neutra's UCLA Lab School, Michael Malztan's Inner City Arts campus on Skid Row, and Christopher Ward's Park Century School in Culver City. But to quote our former president, "Is our children learning?" in fancy architecture? Paris-based architect Jean Touitou is quoted in the article: ‘‘I believe that kids have to be surrounded by beauty as soon as possible. It just never hurts.’’ [T Magazine]]]>
Remember Ronald Shore, that real estate agent who launched a campaign to change West Hollywood's open house sign rules? Unlike other cities, West Hollywood forbids the placement of "Open House" signs on street corners, which means agents have to get permission to plant the signs on neighbors' lawns if they want to drive traffic to their open houses. Additionally, West Hollywood's rules forbid the listing of addresses or real estate firm names on signs that aren't on the listed property itself (signs down the corner, for instance, can only show a directional arrow and the words "Open House"). And, most heinously, the city bans the planting of flags on open house sign (as seen in the photo), although agents can currently plant three flags on the the lawn of the listed house. Well, the WeHo News reports that Shore has triumphed in his bid to change the rules. Last week the City Council OKd many of his suggestions. We called Shore to find out more. "The rules have been changed, and they are supposed to take effect around December 16th," he says. According to Shore, real estate agents can now list their firm's name and property address on off-site signs; sign hours have been extended to run from 11 am-7 pm; signs can also go up on Saturdays; and real estate agents can now plant one flag on their open house signs. Shore's bid to allow the signs on sidewalks wasn't allowed, however. The changes to the open house sign rules are permanent, while rules regarding special promotional signs (the City Council also weighed in on that topic) are temporary, according to Shore.
On Friday, the City Council adopted a resolution authorizing a very complicated-sounding lease that will let the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) look into the possibility of developing a geothermal energy facility near the Salton Sea. The move comes despite the Energy and Environment Committee's disapproval of the resolution a few days ago. The lease is between the DWP and the Southern California Public Power Authority, a joint powers authority of 11 LA-area cities and the Imperial Irrigation District. The agreement involves 2,950 acres owned by DWP and 2,280 acres owned by the Imperial Irrigation District, and everyone is paying rent to everyone else, but the upshot is that they've all signed a Memorandum of Understanding that they'll look into the possibility of building a geothermal power plant. The lease is for three years, with options to extend up to 35 years. Meanwhile, the Energy and Environment Committee disapproved of the plan for a couple reasons. A power plant would cost a lot of money--their report says "potential cost of a geothermal facility averages $250 million, without including transmission or debt costs, of which DWP might pay 50 percent or $125 million." It also says that DWP has admitted to transmission issues in the area that "could limit the accessibility to that electricity for DWP customers." So...we might be paying a lot to tap all that sweet heat out of the earth without even getting a piece?
Barricades began coming down over the weekend on the 405 Freeway--from the 10 to the 90 freeways--signaling an end to the five-year westside widening project, reports CBS2. "The $167 million widening project took five years to complete, and adds carpool lanes and exit lanes on the freeway. The five main traffic lanes in each direction were widened from 10 feet wide to 12 feet, and the often-uneven asphalt surface next to the center divider was replaced with concrete. As a result of the new project, the 405 will have carpool lanes from the interchange at the Santa Monica Freeway all the way to the El Toro Y, 56 miles away, Caltrans' [Judy] Gish said." According to Gish, the northbound lanes will open later this month. [CBS2]]]>
It's Project Runway's first season filming in LA, so of course the show has to take a field trip to the Getty. The designers were asked to make dresses inspired by something at the museum, and the results were a little less promising than that Project Runway alum's Disney Hall affair we showed you a few weeks ago. Most chose pieces in the museum to work off of, but Althea picked the Getty building itself, and dear, sweet Christopher was inspired by the algae-covered rocks in one of the fountains. ]]>
It looks like it'll soon be illegal to practice cat declawing, reports the LA Times, which reports the City Councill took preliminary action today to outlaw declawing. Councilman Bill Rosendahl has three cats, and has been the source of numerous quotes for the paper regarding cats and claws: "The bottom line is, you take the claws out of a cat, you take away the cat." Earlier this week, he told the Times: “Anyone who cannot handle the claws of a cat should not have a cat to begin with." ]]>
The Architects Newspaper follows up with architect and Sci-Arc director Eric Owen Moss, who wants everyone to know that despite that Downtown News story about a possible Sci-Arc move, the school likes downtown. Or is this just spin control on the part of Moss? "The lease, it turns out, isn’t up until 2019. SCI-Arc does have the opportunity to opt out if it wants next year, in 2013, or in 2016. But that possibility, said Moss, is unlikely, especially because it’s happy with its building (which he said had become a local icon) and its location." [ArchNewspaper]]]>
The owner of that Silver Lake mid-century home on Walcott Way that was listed for $619,000 back in September writes in with an update. (This was the guy who listed his house because a 2nd baby is on the way.) The house sold for $625,000. "5 offers within 5 days on the market. We just closed escrow last week.... [Curbed Inbox]]]>
Despite longstanding concerns by homeowners about noise, earlier this week the Federal Aviation Administration shot down plans to enforce a curfew at Burbank's Bob Hope Airport. While that decision may be appealed, it affects other area airports because a ban at Burbank would have resulted in planes being diverted to airports like Van Nuys, for instance. Meanwhile, the San Fernando Valley Business Journal reports that the Van Nuys Airport Citizens Advisory Council is now seeking reimbursement for the cost of installing insulation in homes near the airport. Via the SFVBJ: "The Van Nuys Airport Citizens Advisory Council passed a resolution urging the City of Los Angeles to seek reimbursement for installing insulation in homes near the airfield." It's not clear how many houses had the instillation, but here's the monetary figure mentioned: "During discussion on the resolution seeking reimbursement from the FAA for the sound insulation, airport staff could not give an exact amount that has spent but put the figure in the $10 million range. That amount would increase when the cost of noise consultants is factored in." Photo via T. Laurent 
More stories to add in the great over-hyping about the Gold Line opening: LAist.com has published a handy map showing all of 35 bus lines will connect to the Gold Line extension's eight stations. "Two of them are DASH buses, seven are from Montebello's bus system and the rest are Metro-run buses." Click through the site for a bigger PDF, too. [LAist.com]]]>
"Like most Angelenos, Eddie Solisis pissed about the traffic on the 101. Unlike most Angelenos, Eddie Solis writes songs about being pissed about the traffic on the 101." The LA Weekly has a profile of the It’s Casual, a punk band that sings songs about Solisis' frustration with commuting (sample lyrics: “Los Angeles! There’s too many people! I want them to go away!”) Here's the Weekly's description: "Imagine Henry Rollins at a City Council Transportation Committee meeting, all neck veins and municipal outrage, and you get the picture." Do you want to picture that? [LA Weekly]]]>
The California Planning & Development Report rounds up the results from all of Tuesday's land use-related ballot measures. Maywood is unhappy with the proposed location of a new LAUSD school, and parts of the Santa Clarita Valley voted both to remain unincorporated and to annex to Santa Clarita. Both the stay unincorporated and annexation measures received over 50% of the vote, so 'fess up Santa Clarita Valleyans, we know some of you voted for both. [CP&DR]]]>
The Cultural Heritage Commission is expected to approve Historic-Cultural Monument status for Rudolph Schindler's Bethlehem Baptist Church in Central Alameda today. And while the owner has been notified of the nomination (as required), the planning department hasn't heard from him and doesn't know what his own plans for the building are, according to a press rep for Councilmember Jan Perry. The church is covered in graffiti and all its paint has faded, but the CHC's report lists the condition as "fair" and says there are no known threats to the site.]]>
Bethlehem Baptist was designed for a small African-American congregation, and it's Schindler's only built church. The CHC's report calls the building "all the more remarkable as the lone example of Modernist architecture to cross Los Angeles's economic and racial boundaries during the era of Jim Crow housing covenants."
That guy who started that racy coffee shop (baristas in bikinis served coffee) in Torrance is packing it in and leaving town. He sounds pretty bitter. Via the Daily Breeze: "The 50-year-old Tarzana resident accused Torrance of using excessive regulations to hinder his marketing efforts. [Gary] Gillett complained that the city forced him to take down a banner he put on the lawn in front of his shop because he lacked a city permit....In addition, an inflatable jumper he set up near his shop - for his employees and customers to bounce around in - also drew a city reprimand, he said." The Mayor tells the Breeze the allegations are "ludicrous." [Breeze]]]>
LOS ANGELES: The LA Times reports on a group called cicLAvia who want to start a ciclovia, a time when a city closes off major roadways to cars and opens them entirely up to bicyclists, in LA. The idea, as explained by Jonathan Parfrey, director of the Green LA Institute, is "to create public space using the infrastructure we already have - our roads." Don't be so sure it won't happen--LA's associate director of energy and the environment says "we're looking for ways to support it." [LAT, image via]
What to make of this? Via a press release from Mayor Villaraigosa comes word that Community Redevelopment Agency head Cecilia Estolano is resigning after three and half years. "Estolano announced she will be stepping down from her post effective November 30, 2009." While vocal about all those CRA budget cuts, we always had the impression that Estolano had a vigorous and happy attitude towards her job. Nevertheless, she's headed to go work in the private sector, taking a job at Oakland-based Green For All, which works to promote green jobs. UPDATE: The Los Angeles Times has more on the story.]]>